I’ve loved shepherd’s pie for as long as I can remember. My mother used to make it and I have always been in love with this dish. And, from my time spent abroad, I have only grown to love it more. Here is my take on the dish, all vegetarian, of course. This is just great comfort food, and with the blizzard we just got, it really hit the spot!

Ingredients:

12 oz veggie crumbles (I used Morningstar)

16 oz veg (I use frozen mix of green beans, lima beans, peas, corn and carrots)

5-6 white potatoes, roughly size of palm-palm and fingers

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 table spoons ketchup

2 tablespoons olive oil

Shredded chedder or swiss cheese

½ cup of skim milk

¼ cup of butter

Preheat oven to 375 F

Get a large pot of water going for your potatoes. I go ahead and cube my potatoes into smaller sections so that they cook faster. We will be making mash potatoes from scratch for this, so boil them until they are getting soft. You want to do this first, because they will take the longest. Next, boil frozen veggies until tender, or according to the directions on the package. This is your first layer, so make sure it is done first. Also, get your crumbles cooking in a pan, on medium heat. Add in the soy sauce, Worcestershire, ketchup and olive oil. This will give it a great flavor. Should just take 5-10 minutes to cook, then take off the heat. Once your veggies are done, drain the water away. The potatoes should still be cooking. Layer the veggies in an 8×8 casserole dish, round 2 inches deep, then layer on the crumbles.

Now, once you can punch your potatoes through with a fork quite easily, you know they are done. Drain the water away, and then comes the FUN part! Add in ¼ a cup of butter and ½ cup of skim milk. Mash together with a “masher” or a large fork. I leave the skins on the potatoes from the get-go, to get all the minerals and taste. I enjoy the skins.

Once you have your “smashed” potatoes, layer them on top as well. Sprinkle with cheese, and put it in the oven for 20-30 minutes until all the cheese is melted. I also like to them put it under the broiler and brown the cheese some too.

Enjoy!

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A quick and easy dish when you are short on time, and want a good, hardy chili!

Ingredients

1 quart of tomatoes

1 can of black beans

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 packet of chili powder (like the kind you buy at the store)

1 cayenne pepper, chopped fine

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Combine everything in a Crockpot or slow cooker, and cook on high for 4-6 hours, until onions are very tender, and the chili has thickened. How easy was that? Eat and enjoy!

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